


A Good Week's Worth of Work

by slashhearts



Series: The Things I Want To Tell You —届ける、届けたい。— [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Idols, M/M, Slow Build, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:11:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26080156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashhearts/pseuds/slashhearts
Summary: The boys try on their new outfits. Yuuma opens up a little more at a handshake event. Daisuke asks Yuuma for extra training and practices.
Relationships: Daisuke Tadano/Yuuma Shishino
Series: The Things I Want To Tell You —届ける、届けたい。— [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1245020





	A Good Week's Worth of Work

###  AM 9:30, 513 Productions, Lounge Area

_ Today’s schedule is… a handshake event today, a magazine interview tomorrow, and a guest DJ spot on a primetime radio show the day after. It sounds like a lot, but this is the best way to get popular. We’ve already been at this for a week and we’re already getting fan mail. Tantou sure knows what they’re doing… _

The door slammed open, bringing Yuuma’s attention away the notebook and the small pile of letters on the coffee table before him. Daisuke strutted in, his head bobbing along to whatever music was playing on his headphones. He noticed Yuuma looking in his direction.

“Good morning, Shishino-san!!!” Daisuke belted across the office. A few of the other idols jolted out of their seats, Yuuma included. Yuuma held up a finger, his eyebrows furrowed. Daisuke slipped his headphones off with a sheepish smile. “Oh, sorry.”

“You sure are energetic today,” Yuuma observed, settling into his seat again. “You eat breakfast today?”

“Do you really have to ask me that every morning,” Daisuke fake pouted. He dropped himself into the seat next to Yuuma. 

“It’s probably not going to stop any time soon,” Yuuma said. 

“Well, alright then. And I did, yeah,” Daisuke grinned. He held up one of his earbuds. “That, and I’m listening to our new song to try and memorize it and it’s just so good!! I fell asleep with it on, haha. Have you listened to it?”

“Of course I have,” Yuuma mimicked out the choreography from his chair.  _ “So reach your hand out and hold on tight to mine… I know with the two of us here we won’t need anything else…“ _

“Man, I’m still on the chorus,” Daisuke was amazed. His smile faltered slightly, leaning over to put his headphones away. He muttered to himself as Yuuma eyed him. “Oh man…” 

_ He seems down. I should say something. _

“I have a good memory, but the verses were a little tricky,” Yuuma tried to be humble, meeting Daisuke’s gaze. “I’m sure you know more than you think you do if you’ve been listening to it so much.”

“Y-Yeah,” Daisuke smiled weakly. Yuuma studied him and flashed a reassuring smile in return. 

“I don’t think you’ll need it, but,” Yuuma started, unsure of himself. He rubbed the back of his neck and inspected his notebook. “I can help you study it. We can go over it line by line or something. I still have to learn the second half the choreo. Doing it together will help me learn it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean, we need to start figuring out the choreo together anyway,” Yuuma shrugged. “I’m sure you can feel how different it is, dancing by yourself and dancing with someone else.”

“Yeah, you have a point,” Daisuke’s demeanor brightened.

“Then it’s decided,” Yuuma was relieved. He checked the agenda he had copied from last week’s meeting. “We have a bit of a packed day today, but I think we’ll be back in the office around 2, so we can head to the dance studio if it’s busy.” 

“Sounds like a plan!”

“Oh, by the way, have you checked the fan mail yet? We don’t have a lot, but it’s worth checking out,” Yuuma passed him the stack of envelopes. 

“Not yet, thanks!” Daisuke unfolded a few letters and started reading. Yuuma watched as his partner broke out into a wide grin before moving on to the next one. 

_ He’s so easy to read and right now, he’s still so nervous. All this pressure and stress is going to get to him. I know we’ve only been at this for a few days, but if he’s not careful, he could end up hurting himself…  _

“Hey, Daisuke?”

“What is it, Shishino-san?” Daisuke looked at him expectedly. His ears perked up at the sound of his first name. 

_ His eyes are so… earnest. This kid really is something else.  _ Yuuma couldn’t help but think. “Listen, I wanted to tell you—”

“Sorry I’m late!”

Right on cue, the Producer fumbled to get the door open with their hands full. Daisuke immediately jumped up to help, grabbing a few bags from their hands. 

“Thanks, Tadano-kun,” Producer sighed. Yuuma wasn’t sure if he was thankful for the interruption or not. He got up to help and they set the rest of their belongings and a couple of outfit bags on the coffee table. “There was some traffic getting here from the tailors, plus they had extra adjustments they wanted to make. I’m actually going to ask you guys try it on before we head out in a little bit here, so please try to hurry.”

“If there’s traffic, then we need to leave earlier than planned,” Yuuma picked up the bag with his name on it. “C’mon, Tadano.”

“Right!” 

The two of them picked up their bags and headed into the changing room down the hall.

“If I remember right, they only made slight adjustments so they should fit better,” Yuuma recalled as he stepped into a stall and closed the door behind him. “I wonder what else they did…”

“I don’t really remember. I mean, they fit fine to begin with…” Daisuke called out from his own stall. 

“Weren’t your pant legs a little too long?” Yuuma pointed out.

“That’s what it was! Good memory,” Daisuke chuckled. Yuuma could hear his quiet grunts from his stall. It sounded like he was struggling with something as he spoke. “Oh hey, what was it that you wanted to talk about?” 

“Hm? I wanted to talk to you about something?” Yuuma had lost track of what it was and paused to backtrack for a split second. “Oh right, I remember now. I was just going to say—”

“Uhh… I think I know what they adjusted,” Daisuke interrupted him. Yuuma heard Daisuke step out of his stall and walk over to the three-panel mirror on the wall. Yuuma opened his door and peeked out.

Daisuke stood at the mirrors, looking himself over with a worried expression. His pants fit fine at the new adjusted length and Daisuke did a few test squats to check its flexibility. Yuuma’s gaze trailed down his partner’s frame. His stall was starting to feel a little warm… He looked away and was about to shut the door when he noticed Daisuke’s frown. For such a seemingly carefree person, Yuuma wouldn’t have expected him to make such a serious expression. As Daisuke turned to inspect himself at different angles, he saw Yuuma looking from his changing room. 

“What do you think?” Daisuke asked with a hint of doubt. He fretted and reached forward to try and stretch his arms. He felt the fabric strain and immediately stopped. His shirt fit a little snugly, especially in the shoulders. He shook his head. “Nope.” 

“It’s tight, I’ll give you that,” Yuuma commented. He opened the door and stepped out to inspect him more. 

“W-W-Woah, wait a second,” Daisuke gave him one good lookover and turned away. He flailed his arms, unable to decide whether to cover up his face or Yuuma himself. “You should get fully dressed first!”

“I’m decent enough,” Yuuma shrugged, his half-buttoned top tucked into his half-zipped pants. If anything, he just looked more disheveled than anything else. He looked down and chuckled. “Oh, dude, this is nothing. Besides, we’re both guys.”

“Still!” 

_ There’s something… precious about him right now.  _ Yuuma hesitated. He began to ponder but had to save it for later. He glanced at the clock and waved Daisuke off before stepping around him. “It’s fine, we don’t have a lot of time anyway. Let me take a look at you.”

“Okay, fine,” Daisuke gave up and turned around. Yuuma chose not to comment on his blushing face. 

“Hmm, yeah, we might need to speak to Tantou about this,” Yuuma patted down Daisuke’s shoulders and rubbed his chin. “Especially because he wanted us to wear this at the meet and greet.”

“Don’t we have any other outfits? What about our street clothes, those aren’t that bad!” Daisuke asked. He winced slightly at Yuuma’s touch. 

“I don’t think so, we might just have to go with this. The whole point of the outfits is to make ourselves known as idols,” Yuuma said. He finished buttoning up and made a couple of straightening adjustments in the mirror. “It might get you some hot points with our fans, but are you going to be comfortable in that?”

“I can move around just fine,” Daisuke pointed out. Yuuma’s last comment sailed over his head completely. 

“But do you feel okay wearing that,” Yuuma reiterated. “It’s important that you like wearing it.”

“Honestly, I wish this shirt could be a little looser,” Daisuke shrugged. “But like you said, we don’t have time, so it’ll have to do for now.”

“Okay then,” Yuuma smiled.  _ Okay, he’s getting it a little bit.  _ “Might help if you keep that top button undone.”

“You guys almost ready?” The Producer knocked at the door. “The taxi’s waiting downstairs.”

“Be right out!” the two called out in unison. They shook their heads and laughed at each other. 

“Here, let me take one last look,” Yuuma took Daisuke by the shoulders again and turned him around quickly. 

“Good idea! Let me check you,” Daisuke returned the notion, nodding in satisfaction. After a few last minute touches, they bounded down the stairs and into the lobby. 

“Oh, Daisuke, your shirt—“ the Producer started. Daisuke’s buttons and fabric strained slightly as he walked. 

“It’s all good!” Daisuke assured him, leading the group out the doors and into the taxi. “We don’t have a lot of time so it’ll have to do for now.”

“We can just fix it later,” Yuuma added. Producer got into the front seat while the other two slid into the back seat. 

“Alright then,” Producer shrugged. 

“Let’s go, the new fans are waiting!” Daisuke cheered. Yuuma watched him bounce excitedly and smiled. 

“You heard the man!!”

* * *

###  AM 10:50, LightWings CD Shop

“Are you sure we can’t help you with anything, Producer?” 

Daisuke and Yuuma sat off to the side as the Producer oversaw agency affiliates and shop clerks bustling back and forth with equipment and gear. Daisuke fumbled with his water bottle, torn between getting up and staying put. 

“For the last time, Daisuke,” the Producer called out from across the venue. They were busy instructing a clerk how to set up the merch table and banners. “You’re the idol now, you shouldn’t be helping! Besides, we need to make sure you don’t hurt your hands ahead of the event.”

“This is ridiculous, you make it sound like I have glass hands or something,” Daisuke huffed. He got up and grabbed a box from the corner and nodded at one of the staff members. “ Hey, do you know where this goes?”

“Over there,” they pointed to the corner. 

“Here, let me help you with that,” Yuuma followed after with a box of his own. They moved the loads from one end of the store to the other together, helping tidy some of the store’s stock and displays. 

“I can’t believe Producer doesn’t want us to help,” Daisuke grumbled. His forehead creased in annoyance. “There’s so much to do, it’s not like I can just sit back and do nothing.”

“I feel you,” Yuuma agreed. He took a break from organizing the clearance shelves and leaned on it. He might as well talk to him now. “Like, I totally understand where you’re coming from…”

“Okay, then good. Here, help me with this,” Daisuke huffed. He went to pick up another stack of magazines to organize the display rack when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“But…” Yuuma started. “Tantou might have a point. Everyone has a job they’re supposed to do. Ours is to be the main event. We can’t spend all of our energy on other things if it’ll mean we can’t do our main job right.”

“That’s only if you have a little amount of energy,” Daisuke protested. He continued with his work, a slight sheen of sweat starting to form his forehead. “I can keep going, it’s fine.”

“Daisuke,” Yuuma called out. 

Daisuke turned around, his eyes widened. He always sounded so serious, but something was different this time. 

_ I suppose now’s the time to say it. _

“When Tantou and I chose you as our leader, it was because we knew you had the drive to take us to the top,” Yuuma explained with voice even and calm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark midnight handkerchief. “Of course, you’re new at this. And I’m new at this too. We need to support each other to make sure that we can do the best job, be the best in what we do.” 

Yuuma got closer. Daisuke reeled a half-step out of instinct, but Yuuma continued unfazed. He reached out and lightly dabbed his cloth along Daisuke’s forehead. Daisuke’s breath caught in his throat, his face flushing at his touch.

“We can’t have you getting all sweaty before you meet the fans. Luckily, you’re only barely overheating,” Yuuma fussed. “What I’m trying to say is, we’re idols now. We have to focus on that. Of course, we can always help out whenever we can, but we shouldn’t strain ourselves. You’re our leader,  _ my  _ leader. I have to count on you and I can’t have you out of play before we even start.” 

Daisuke gulped and tried to look away. His words echoed as his head spun. Nervousness, embarrassment, excitement, a fluttering feeling…  _ ‘My’ leader... _

“I’m depending on you.” 

Daisuke’s eyes snapped up and held Yuuma’s gaze in his. Without his usual glasses, Yuuma’s eyes were silver discs that shined like moonlight. He could make out the slightest hint of warmth in that piercing stare of his. Daisuke felt the same warmth reflected within him as he lost himself… 

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Yuuma scoffed facetiously, staring deeper into Daisuke. “You’ve overworked yourself up and now you’re all sweaty and out of breath. To think, the first time you broke a sweat in your new outfit, it was because you were helping clean a CD shop. The fans are gonna be too grossed out to even come near you.” 

Yuuma laughed and finished with the handkerchief. He turned back to tidy up the last of their organizing and called back over his shoulder, “You might as well help me finish what we started. Gimme a hand here. Daisuke?”

Daisuke snapped out of it and went to help him. 

“Sure thing,” Daisuke said. “I  _ am  _ your leader after all.”

Yuuma rolled his eyes.  _ I’m going to regret telling him that, aren’t I… Still, I hope he got the message.  _

“There you guys are,” Producer came around a corner, striding fast towards them. “Been looking forever for you. I thought you guys might’ve taken a walk.”

“Well, kinda?” Yuuma shrugged. 

“I thought I told you guys to leave all that work to us,” Producer was stern as they started ushering them back to the main floor. A couple of tables were set up with copies of their new single, a pair of chairs set up at another. Behind that were the banners. 

“ᴀɴᴛᴇɴɴ∀’s First Meet and Greet! Take my feelings through my Handshake Event!” 

“Title’s a little…” Yuuma hesitated. 

“Off?” Daisuke finished for him. “Yeah, there’s something about it…” 

“Like we’re jumping headfirst into it a little too much?” Yuuma tilted his head. “Telling someone something too difficult to say, it’s more of a nuanced notion…”

“You sound so cool, Shishino-san,” Daisuke was amazed at his partner’s observation. He took his seat next to him at the table. 

“Shut up,” Yuuma frowned. He gave Daisuke a playful punch for good measure.

“You never said if you’ve ever had a hard time saying something to someone,” the young leader mentioned. 

“You’re right, I didn’t,” Yuuma deflected outright with a shrug and a coy smile. “Sorry, we have to reach Trust Level 3 to unlock my tragic backstory. Plus, you gotta make sure you ask me after school on a rainy day on the roof.”

“Now you’re a little less cool,” Daisuke laughed heartily. He may not have entirely understood the reference, but at least he appreciated a joking tone over a cold one when it came to avoiding questions.  _ It’ll have to do for now.  _

“Since you’re so eager to ask, maybe you should answer some questions then,” Yuuma leaned in. “ _ You  _ ever have any trouble spittin’ it out and just saying it?”

“Loads of times, actually,” Daisuke confessed. “A lot of crushes I could never talk to. I’d always just clam up and then eventually, we’d lose contact. One way or another, moving schools or different clubs. Never even really confessed to them properly…”

Daisuke slumped and rested his chin on the table in front of them, his arms outstretched. He stared ahead dejectedly. It was something that clearly bothered him.

“It’s not like any of them would’ve ever returned my feelings anyway.”

A tidy silence had settled in the lull of the conversation. The gears in Yuuma’s mind started turning.  _ I can’t even imagine Daisuke with a crush, liking someone like that. He just seems too… wholesome? Is that the word? And what’s Daisuke’s type anyway? ...Eh, whatever. I shouldn’t care too much about the details, right?  _ He tried to change his line of thought and cleared his throat as a prelude to a response that would never come. Instead, Daisuke peeked out of crook of his elbow and broke the silence again. 

“You owe me one fact about your life now.”

Yuuma blinked. 

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve decided, as our leader, that you can’t keep dodging all of my questions,” Daisuke sat back up and crossed his arms with a smug grin on his face. “You can avoid them all you want, but I’m keeping track of how many you don’t answer and I’m going to collect on that and make you answer all of them.”

“Really now,” Yuuma stared back unamused. Daisuke shoved his phone in his face.

“Really! I’ve even started a list of questions you haven’t answered yet,” Daisuke took his phone back and scrolled through some of it. “You’re up to twelve. Some of these are pretty simple too, like ‘what was your childhood like?’ Really, I could even do with like a one word answer.”

“Hm,” Yuuma grunted. 

“That’s not a word,” Daisuke retorted flatly. 

“The event’s about to start,” Yuuma nodded towards Producer who was heading towards them. He stood and re-checked the details of his outfit. “Tantou, we ready?”

“Two minutes,” Producer walked quickly, darting from their table to the merch before checking on them one last time. “Daisuke, Yuuma, you guys good?”

“Super ready, Producer!” Daisuke beamed. He jumped to his feet and leaned on the table. “Let’s get started already!”

Producer nodded and went to find a clerk to unlock the doors. Daisuke glanced up to Yuuma one last time. He had a determined air about him. 

“Don’t think I’m done with you yet.”

A chill shook Yuuma by his spine. He cleared his throat again and tried to focus on the first fans coming in through the door.

“…Of course.”

* * *

###  PM 1:45, LightWings CD Shop

“It was so nice to meet you!” Daisuke shook the girl’s hand tightly with both of his. “We’re counting on you for your support.” 

“O-Of course!!”

“Don’t forget, if you can’t tell someone something, let us do it for you.”

“Yes, that’s why we’re here for you after all,” Yuuma held his cool, alluring demeanor, calming but exciting all at once. “I know how hard it can be to let yourself be vulnerable. It’s okay, you’ll be okay. Please watch over us as we move forward.”

“Y-Yes!! I will! Thank you so much, both of you!” the young fan manage to squeak out before dashing off, her face red. In her hands, she clutched a few copies of their single. The merch table was almost sold out, save for a few CDs and a couple of signed postcards but there was still a long line of eager fans lining up out the door and down the block, waiting for their turn. The Producer was starting to get a little worried. They flagged down the store clerk to hold off on the next guest for a second while they leaned in. 

“It looks like word got out… I’m glad it’s going strong but we’re almost out of stuff. Plus, we’ve officially gone over by an hour and a half,” the Producer fretted. “Luckily the shop manager’s enjoying the extra foot traffic so we’re not being too much of a nuisance. You guys should at least take a break though.”

“I can keep going!” Daisuke protested. “Besides, I’m having a lot of fun here. And the fans are here to meet us, not buy merch!”

“Well, having merch certainly helps. But I have to say, I’m enjoying myself too,” Yuuma added. “I can feel myself getting a little tired, but the more fans we see, the better reputation we’ll get. I’m prepared to go through the night at this point.”

“I’m glad,” Producer said. The high-pitched worried tone had all but taken over their voice. “But we need to ask ourselves if we  _ should  _ keep going. We don’t want to burn ourselves out and end up disappointing our fans.” 

“What do you think, leader?” Yuuma asked. “I’m down for whatever you decide.”

“Hmm, you have a point…” Daisuke cradled his chin with his palm. “It might be best for us to wrap it up soon. Five more people okay?”

“I’ll let the staff know,” the Producer was already off to speak with the store clerks and the agency staff to start the breakdown. 

“So, we’ll go ahead and finish up here, head back to the office to change out of these clothes…” Daisuke recollected. 

“We still going over the new song?” Yuuma asked, though it almost felt like a command than a request. 

“Haven’t forgotten!” Daisuke chirped. 

“Okay, good,” Yuuma sighed. “Actually, with how late we ended up staying here, I’m thinking there’s a better chance we can use the dance studio without any interruptions.” 

“Looks like staying late paid off,” Daisuke folded his arms triumphantly. 

“Don’t get too cocky, you heard what Tantou said,” Yuuma chided him. “It only happened to work out this way. We shouldn’t make a habit out of it. I can tell you’re starting to get a little tired.”

“Am not!” Daisuke scoffed. “If anyone’s getting tired here, it’s you!” 

“I know. That’s what I just said. How old are we?” Yuuma couldn’t help but chuckle at the naïve indignance. “Honestly, I kind of just wanted to say you were tired to see how you’d react.” 

Daisuke glared at him with a raised eyebrow, turning his back to stare at the other side of the store. Yuuma reached out to his shoulder tenderly.  _ Ah, that might’ve been too much. Can’t help it though, he’s cute like this too… Argh, snap out of it! Can’t think like that again… _

“I was a latchkey kid,” Yuuma spoke up. 

“What?”

“My parents worked all the time, I didn’t have any siblings or friends or neighbors growing up, so I learned how to live alone from an early age,” Yuuma continued. “You wanted to know a little bit more about me, right?”

Daisuke’s mood softened with his pout. His annoyance began to melt into pity.

“So to compensate, my parents bought me a lot of games. I’d come home, do my homework, play games into the night until I fell asleep, woke up and went to school. It was easy for me, I didn’t have to deal with anyone or anything I didn’t want to. If something bothered me, I’d just play another game.” 

“Didn’t you miss your parents?” Daisuke kept his gaze down. He hid his pain poorly. 

“I did, yeah,” Yuuma nodded. He leaned back in his chair to reminisce, unfazed. “Eating dinner by myself as a kid was a little lonely, I’ll admit. Eventually, I learned how to go out and explore by myself. Distract myself with all the hustle and bustle of the outside world, only needing or wanting to talk to people when I wanted to. Then I’d just go back and play games. Or I’d even hit up the local arcades and play there. It was simple.”

“I guess,” Daisuke muttered. “You didn’t have one friend? Not even a best friend? What about after school?”

“Maybe one? Still more of an acquaintance actually. But even then… Not really, no.”

“Then I’ll be your best friend then!” 

“What?” 

Daisuke rose to his feet again, this time bringing his face in close to Yuuma’s. The older man managed to inch back enough in time to keep their faces from running into each other. His leader’s excitement was getting the better of him but there was no stopping him now. 

“Let me be your best friend then!!” Daisuke repeated, shouting into Yuuma’s face. 

“Usually best friends don’t start with a declaration,” Yuuma pointed out. He tried to lean back more but was at risk of falling out of his seat at this point.  _ Too close, too close!! _

“Mine did,” Daisuke said, finally detracting his face and sitting back in his seat. “I still text my elementary school friends every now and again.”

“Is that so…” Yuuma tried to hold back a sigh.  _ He’s trying to help, I can’t be annoyed at that. Still, I suppose it can’t be all bad…  _ He took a breath and peeked at him. “Alright, what the hell. Sure, let’s be best friends.”

“Alright!!” Daisuke pulled out his phone and turned on the camera. “Get in here!” 

He wrapped an arm around Yuuma’s shoulder and pulled him in to look up at his phone. Daisuke snapped a couple of pictures before letting go and reviewing his shots. 

“What was that for?” Yuuma tended to his outfit, straightening out a few details here and there. 

“Best friends get contact photos!” Daisuke explained. He tapped around on his phone for a bit and Yuuma’s phone chirped. “Here, this one’s really good! I’m saving it as your pic now.”

Yuuma checked the new notification and sure enough, it was a selfie of Daisuke smiling bright and wide into the camera. He looked over at himself, distracted and caught off-guard. Instead of looking into the camera with him, he was looking at Daisuke. 

“You usually look so cool and collected, but you just look kind of goofy here,” Daisuke laughed. 

“Gee, thanks,” Yuuma rolled his eyes lightheartedly. He brought up Daisuke’s contact info and saved the picture himself. “Here, did the same for you.”

“Then it’s official!” Daisuke was satisfied. “Next is visiting your place!”

“Let’s hold off on that for now…” Yuuma held up a hand. “It’s a little too early for that.”

“Wanna come over to my place then? Meet my sisters?” 

“Ah, I’ll get back to you on that…” 

Yuuma felt himself stiffen at the suggestion. He’d never really hung out with children before, nor had he ever visited someone else’s house out of an intentional, friendly invitation.  _ I mean, the old team kind of acted like children, but they were still adults for the most part.  _ Just the thought of it made him want to retreat into his apartment. 

“Sure! Just let me know when,” Daisuke said, smiling. “I get it though, too much people-ing in a short amount of time.”

“It’s just, this meet and greet is work, like I have to do it, y’know?” Yuuma explained. 

“Dude, don’t worry about it!” Daisuke chuckled. “I understand, one-hundred percent. 

The staff had opened the doors one last time for the day, ushering in a small group of high schoolers, first-years. A couple of girls and a boy had come straight up to shake hands, gushing about how excited they were to meet them and for their next song. They flocked to Daisuke who received them with a silly, but earnest smile with his ever-shining eyes. Yuuma readied himself and waited for the group to make their way over when he noticed the last member of their party. Hanging towards the rear was a young boy who looked like the youngest of the bunch. Yet, he still towered over the rest of his friends by at least a head. He kept his eyes low to the ground as tugged on the edge of his sleeves. 

“Hi,” Yuuma called out. “You okay there?”

“U-Uh,” the boy gulped. “Y-Yeah, I’m… fine.”

“I’m Yuuma,” he held out a hand. “What’s your name?”

“Kouji. Inose Kouji,” the boy stepped up slowly. He tried to keep his voice and hands from shaking too much. 

“Inose Kouji-san,” Yuuma repeated. He gave his hand a firm shake. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“I-It’s nice to meet you too…” Kouji glanced up at Yuuma’s eyes and quickly looked away. The young boy’s face started turning pink. He wanted to pull his hand away, but at the same time, he felt drawn to him. It was as if Yuuma’s hand was safe haven. He didn’t want to let go after all. 

“How’s your day going so far, Inose-san?” Yuuma asked. 

“P-Please… Call me Kouji,” he stammered. He scratched his face with his other hand. His fingers trembled. “My day was… okay. I think. Not the best… but not the worst either.”

“I have days like that too, Kouji,” Yuuma smiled at him. He leaned down to look Kouji in the eye. “You look like you’re keeping something in you. Something you want to say to someone. Is that right?”

“...”

“It’s okay if you do,” Yuuma assured him. Kouji made an apparent effort to not say anything. Kouji’s friends had paused their conversation to watch. Even Daisuke eyed his partner intently. All of this, Yuuma was oblivious to. He looked only at Kouji. “And it’s okay if you can’t.” 

Kouji’s eyes welled up. He wasn’t embarrassed… no, if anything, he felt relieved. He sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve. 

“Here.”

Yuuma pulled out his handkerchief from his back pocket and offered it to him. Kouji’s eyes widened. He looked at Yuuma confused and surprised. Was it really okay to take this? Yuuma insisted with a nudge. 

“I’m going to ask something of you, Kouji. Is that okay?”

Kouji nodded. He reached out and accepted the cloth.

“I’m going to ask for your support. Me and Tadano here, we’re both new at this, so you can imagine we’re a little scared ourselves,” Yuuma chuckled, nodding his head towards his partner. 

“You don’t even have to buy anything or come see us. Just support us in your heart. That would be enough for me,” Yuuma held onto Kouji’s shoulder and stared into his eyes. “And in return, I’m going to support you. Whenever you feel like you’re having a hard time, just lean on me and Tadano here, and we’ll take care of you. We’ll say the things that you can’t. 

“Is that alright?”

Kouji nodded again, slowly. A tear rolled down his cheek. Yuuma went to wipe it with his handkerchief before returning it to him. Kouji tried to push it back, but Yuuma held up his free hand. 

“It’s yours.”

Kouji put the grey and blue cloth away, patting his pocket to make sure. He breathed in deep and returned Yuuma’s gaze. 

“Thank you, Yuuma-san,” Kouji smiled meekly. The smile reached his eyes, allowing the slightest twinkle to shine through. Yuuma smiled back. 

“Thank  _ you _ , Kouji.”

With a silent mutual agreement, they let go of their hands together and Kouji took a few steps back to take in what had just happened. He looked down at his hand and studied it intently. In an instant, Kouji’s friends rushed to Yuuma’s side. 

“I’ll support you, Yuuma-san!”

“Yuuma-san, you got this!”

“I’m so excited to see what you guys do!”

“Don’t worry, Yuuma-san! We’re rooting for you!”

Yuuma was left speechless at the sudden outpour. To be honest, he had forgotten about the rest of the group this whole time. The sudden attention was getting too much to handle. He glanced over at Daisuke, his eyes silently pleading for help. 

“Haha, thank you guys!!” Daisuke slid over and wrapped an arm around Yuuma. “We’re going to work super had to make sure that we can be something you’ll be proud to support!”

“You guys are so cool!”

“Daisuke-kun, I love you!”

“Waah, Tadano-saaaaan~!”

“We’re going to support you forever, Daisuke-san!”

“We’re going to see you guys around, alright?” Daisuke leaned in and winked. “We’d love to stay and chat, but I think the event’s closing soon. We’ll meet up again next time, alright?”

“Alright!” came the chorus from the crowd. 

There were a few last-minute handshakes, autographs, and selfies until the group was ushered out. Right before he stepped through the doors, Kouji looked back and waved at Yuuma with a wide grin. He was holding Yuuma’s handkerchief against his chest. Yuuma waved back with a smile just as big.

“I’d say today was a resounding success!” the Producer came up upon them, arms crossed in satisfaction. They held up a couple of canned coffees. “You guys deserve a break!”

“Thank you!!” Daisuke grabbed a can and gulped it down. 

“Thanks, Tantou,” Yuuma grabbed a can and paused. He stared into it, lost in thought. A distant voice echoed from the back of his mind. 

_ … _

_ “Here, Yuuma.” _

_ Without warning, an aluminum can had materialized between him and his monitor. He craned his neck to look around it, only to be met with a killcam replay. The AI CPU he had been playing against finished him off with a headshot from across the map.  _

_ “Damn it,” he grunted. He snatched the can and pulled the tab open. He took a sniff and scrutinized the label. “Canned coffee milk… We run out of energy drinks?” _

_ “Yeah, kitchen only has coffee. Hope that’s okay.” _

_ His partner bounced into his seat next to him. He set the can down on the desk and scooched his chair up, its small wheels quietly rolling against the hardwood floor. He picked up his headset and took in the training room around them. The lights were dimmed low as the day had grown late into the night. All but two battlestations were hibernating. A sea of tiny orange LEDs twinkled around the two as they continued the match. _

_ “It’ll have to do. Coach needs to go shopping soon though,” Yuuma muttered. He gulped the entire can in a single swig. He set it on the desk and slammed his fist down, flattening it into a compact disk of crushed metal with an impressive crunch. _

_ “I mean, it’s caffeine, it’ll do a all-nighter just fine,” the other man pointed out. He took a sip and decided to change characters. “Been a while since we did a solo training this late.” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ “Something the matter?” his partner looked at him.  _

_ “Tournament’s next week,” Yuuma pointed out. He was only half paying attention to the match now. His hands had slowed as the key clicks of his glowing mechanical keyboard softened. His monitor flashed red again as the killcam came back. “We’re nowhere near ready.” _

_ “Look at me.” _

_ Yuuma turned to face his teammate, a meek smile on his lips.  _

_ “I got you, you got me, right?” he asked. _

_ Yuuma blinked. He nodded. _

_ “You got me, I got you,” Yuuma repeated back. He took a breath and centered himself. He readjusted his headset and got ready for respawn. “Thanks, Taiichi.” _

_ “Anytime, friend.” _

_... _

“You did good today, Shishino,” Producer clapped him on the shoulder. Yuuma snapped out of his trance and looked back at the Producer with a small tired smile.

“Mm-hm!!” Daisuke nodded as he chugged. 

“Listen, I still have to wrap some things up here, but we’re pretty much done for the day,” Producer explained. “If you guys could just stop by the office to drop off the outfits, you can have the rest of the night off.”

“Perfect!” 

“Yeah, we did more than we thought we were going to tonight,” Producer’s phone rang once before they answered. They held a hand over it before addressing the call. “You should rest up for tomorrow. Yes, I’m here.”

They gave a wave and stepped aside. Daisuke turned to Yuuma. 

“Hey, we’re still on for tonight, right?” Daisuke asked. “Shishino-san?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure,” Yuuma grunted. His eyes had trouble focusing on his partner. The taste of milk coffee was laced with memories. He pushed the flashbacks aside and cleared his throat. “Should be fine. Still down if you are.”

“You sure?” Daisuke worried. “You don’t seem too hot yourself. Did the event tire you out more than you expected? We can take a rain check for next time if you’d li—“

“Really,” Yuuma interrupted.  _ Man, this kid’s too nice.  _ “Let’s head out now.”

In one swift motion, he set the can on the ground and crushed it with his foot. He tossed the remaining metal into the bin and walked off with his hands in his pockets. 

“Okay then.”

Daisuke followed as the two waved at the Producer on their way out. They waved back and watched as the two flagged down a taxi on the curb. The two were uncharacteristically quiet as the taxi had pulled up. Daisuke took shotgun while Yuuma took the backseat. The Producer looked on.  _ Must’ve tired themselves out more than they thought they did. _


End file.
